McMystery
by randomplotbunny
Summary: Tim has been hiding something from his team for years now, how will they react when they finally learn what it is? And will it be too late once they do? Established McKort, and not recommended for Abby lovers.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to NCIS.**

I had been a too long month for the MCRT, what with Tony's car getting blown up and the team believing he was dead for several hours and then everything just snowballing from there with one bad case after another, so when they were finally granted a long weekend off rotation they all went off to decompress in their own separate ways.

Tony headed home for greasy pizza, cheap beer and a Harrison Ford movie marathon, he was still feeling too raw from his half real/half fake relationship with Jean to go club hopping like he used to.

Ziva went to her gym, needing to work the tension out of her muscles before she could safely unwind and relax in company.

Gibbs, of course, headed straight for his three B's: his Basement, his Boat and his Bourbon.

Timothy McGee, being the only reasonably normal person out of the bunch, went to his favorite Microbrewery just around the block from his apartment complex- and the only reason he had not yet left the too small and overpriced place far behind- and had a mug of his favorite pale ale with his usual fare.

So you can see how it was a complete and utter shock to him when a certain someone he never thought to see again slipped into the seat across from him in his regular booth.

"Hello."

"Uh... Hi?"

"Timothy McGee, unappreciated computer genius and underexploited field agent, correct?" Tim gave his uninvited guest a sideways look before replying.

"And you're Trent Kort, the CIA Agent that blew up Tony's prized car and who is now on Gibbs' short list, right?" The older man chuckled at that and took a sip from the dark lager he had brought over with him.

Taking a chance on the relaxed atmosphere the other man was putting effort into creating, even though he knew it would most likely turn out to be a trick of some sort, Tim decided to speak his mind.

"Can I ask you why you're here?"

"You can." Kort smirked.

"Will you give me an honest answer if I do?" That got a soft laugh.

"It's a statistical possibility." Taking another drink from the surprisingly good beer, Trent drank up the light banter; it was nice to do things like this once in a while and not have to worry about hidden agendas and back-handed threats.

"Alright then." Tim sipped his ale while thinking over how best to phrase his question. Decision made he set his glass down and met the other man's eye.

"Agent Kort of the CIA, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"What?!" Kort nearly dropped his glass in shock- that had not been the question he had been expecting to hear!

"Dinner. You and me. Whenever. How about it?" Tim took a slow sip from his glass as he watched the shock on the face across from him give way to humor.

"Sounds like a date. When would be a good time for you?"

"Oh, anytime after you tell me what you're doing here would be good." Trent stared for a moment before letting loose with a genuine laugh.

"Kid, you are a natural." The CIA man finally managed to say after several minutes had gone by. Tim just smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me get us another round and some more food and then I'll explain." Trent offered, still amused from having had the tables so successfully turned on him in such a short amount of time.

Gibbs and his crew really were fools for not seeing this gem shinning away amongst their rough, and it would be the CIA's pleasure to steal it right out from under their noses.

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_Years Later_

Waking with the dawn, stretching the stiffness from his aching muscles, Tim climbed out of the oversized but oh so comfortable bed and took a shower; running the water as hot as he could stand it to counteract the soreness of his new bruises.

Packing up the few items he had with him he then went down to the front desk to check out.

"Thank you for staying with us, Mr. Murray, we hope you enjoyed your stay!" Smiling at the man behind the counter, Tim left the hotel and climbed into the black car that had just pulled up to the doors.

"Did you get it?"

"Don't I always?" Handing over a small piece of metal and plastic that so many governments and freelance 'businessmen' would kill to get a look at to his handler, Tim then looked up front at the driver and the third man assigned to his detail- at least the detail he got to meet- and gave a small yet happy greeting.

It had only been a few days since he had last seen these men, but it had felt like a lifetime- it always did.

"There's enough information there to bring down the whole Family... or to blackmail its leaders into cooperating." Sending a smirk Trent's way with that information, Tim got a feather light caress along his jaw for it.

"You are a miracle worker, you know that right? I just wish you'd come work with us full-time, we could protect you better that way." As the driver and his partner made agreeing noises Trent uncovered the finger shaped bruises forming on Tim's wrist and gave them a kiss that started Tim smiling.

"That's sweet, all of you, but we've already talked about this: if I were to work for the you full-time I'd put you all out of work, and no-one wants that. Just think about how bored you'd all be!" Kort, the driver, Kevin, and the third man, Frankie, chuckled at the old joke as they continued on their way to the private airstrip and Tim's flight home.

Leaning into Trent's side, Tim pitched his voice low- but not in a whisper, there were no secrets to be had on _this _team- and drove his point home.

"Besides, if we worked together full-time you'd get sick of me. Not to mention those regulations against committed couples not being deployed on the same team." Catching Tim's lips in a chaste kiss, Trent conceded that that was a better reason for Tim to stay a freelance consultant for them and working for NCIS the rest of the time than any other.

Kort never wanted his young friend, protégé and lover to go out in the field without _him _being there to protect him, even if only from afar.

The car finally came to a stop next to a private jet and Tim made his farewells as a new set of Agents descended on him and hustled him off and home. He would see the men in the car again soon- Trent far sooner than the others- but he couldn't let on that they were more to him than just his security escort.

There was just never any telling just who was watching out here.

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"So how was the comic book convention, McLong-Weekend?" Tony asked when he got into work Tuesday and saw that his partner, who had left early on the Thursday before, was at his desk and hard at work.

"It was a book signing, Tony, one I had full approval to go to from the Director." Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Tim continued to sort through the reports and e-mails he had missed while... at the book signing.

"You do know that the Director only likes those pathetic excuses for literature you write because you portray him as the perfect leader in them, right? Or should I say: you portray Director R. Carroll as the perfect leader. That has to be the worst name you've come up with yet, Probie! How did you manage to come up with something so... He's right behind me, isn't he?"

"Yes I am." Tony turned to see the steely eyed man he'd just been talking about staring down at him, ubiquitous toothpick held in his teeth.

"For your information: Tim let me choose my character name, Carroll was my paternal grandfather; and I'm damn proud to have him immortalized in one of Agent McGee's books. And I'll tell you something else, DiNozzo, as soon as you write an internationally best-selling book that promotes NCIS as the best yet most underappreciated Agency on the Hill then I'll start approving you for extra, unpaid time off. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly, Sir." As Vance started up the stairs for his office, Tony turned a glare on Ziva, who was quietly laughing at his dressing down, and then over at a smugly smirking Tim.

"I could write a far better book than you ever could, McWanna-be-a-writer. Any day of the week!"

"Then why don't you?" Gibbs asked in his customary way, coming out of nowhere as he headed for his desk.

"Uh... Just don't have the time to do so, Boss, what with all our long hours here at the office."

"McGee works longer hours than you do, Tony, helping the other teams; and yet he still manages to get the writing done." Ziva quipped with a smile, loving to tease her partner like this.

Grinding his teeth at the way everyone was ganging up on him, Tony tried to defend himself.

"Well, you see, I'm more of a visual type of guy..."

"Good, then visualize yourselves gearing up, we have a double homicide at Rock Creek Park." Gibbs called out as he snapped his phone closed.

Grabbing their go-bags the team headed for the elevator, not knowing just how different things would be before they made it back.

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"You're sure it's him? You're positive that this is the true identity of that bastard Murray?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You know what to do then."

"Yes, sir!"


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Don't panic! I have never killed off a major character before and I don't plan to now! Just wait and you'll see everything turn out alright in the end!_

_Oh, plus this is where the Abby bashing starts, so you are warned. Don't get me wrong, Abby is an interesting character; but actions speak louder than words. She is always being mean, cruel, to Tim and then just saying she's sorry and acting like it never happened, and that just isn't a healthy mental attitude._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing!**

When it happened time seemed to slow to a crawl and yet move too fast for them to do anything useful.

They were out at the crime scene, waiting for Ducky to give them the go ahead to approach the bodies, when a pink Plymouth Duster- later found to have been stolen from a nearby college campus- came zipping by; a single shot rang out.

Ziva gave an involuntary cry as the bullet grazed he arm before embedding into a tree and was instantly surrounded by the concerned faces of all present, all save two.

"It looks like nothing more than a graze, my dear, but we had better get it cleaned up and dressed just the same. Mr. Palmer, my bag if you be so kind." Several moments went by without the expected enthusiastic acknowledgement.

"Mr. Palmer?" Looking around, Ducky spotted his assistant kneeling on the ground next to an all too familiar prone form; blood already coating his hands nearly to his elbows.

The old ME was moving before he had even fully registered what he was seeing.

"Jethro, call an ambulance!" He called back once he was half way to the two young men on the ground.

"I thought you said it was only a graze, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he turned to see where his old friend was headed, and that's when he spotted his downed man.

"Ambulance, Jethro. Now!" Kneeling down on the other side of McGee from his assistant as an ambulance was finally called to the scene, Ducky rattled off the damage he could see.

"Through and through, high in the chest- my god..." The old doctor shared a worried glance with his young assistant before he looked up at the three Agents now standing close by but keeping out of the way, the small graze on Ziva's arm long forgotten.

"How bad is it, Ducky?" Tony asked, unable to hold in his curiosity even though he was worried about his Probie.

"It's... bad, Anthony. Timothy... The bullet has passed perilously close to his heart, right along the path of his aorta."

"He will be alright though, Ducky, will he not?" Ziva asked, shocked that her coworker had been so seriously injured and yet she had been the one to receive treatment first.

"He is still breathing, my dear Ziva, so there is hope. Never give up hope." The rest of the time waiting for the ambulance to arrive was spent in silence as the two medical men attempted to stem the flow of blood from the gushing wound and the Agents kept watch, watching to see if the perpetrators returned and watching to see if they were about to lose their friend and partner.

"Why McGee, Boss? Why him and not one of us?" Tony asked once the ambulance that had finally arrived had pulled away with McGee and Palmer- who had surprised everyone with his vehement refusals to part from Tim's side- both inside.

Gibbs, not having an answer for his Senior Agent, simply shook his head and ordered his two remaining Agents to secure the scene before their replacements arrived. Pulling out his phone, Gibbs made the necessary, and overdue, call to the Director.

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"What's happened?!" Barked the voice on the other end of the line as soon as it was picked up and Vance quickly outlined what he knew, knowing that the gruffness was born of worry and not taking it personally, he also knew it would only get worse once he'd finished speaking.

"We'll meet you at the hospital. Bethesda, right?" Giving the affirmative, Vance was soon listening to a dial tone.

Grabbing his coat the Director of NCIS headed out. Officially he was going to go check on his injured Agent, unofficially he was going to go run interference between Gibbs and the CIA.

At that moment, Leon Vance felt he would rather be doing anything else, even attending budget meetings up on the Hill, rather than going to go explain why the CIA was so heavily interested in, and invested in, the well-being of one of NCIS's top Agents.

And he most definitely wasn't looking forward to the moment Gibbs realized that there was a personal connection between Trent Kort and Timothy McGee as well as a professional one, even if he himself wasn't supposed to know that bit of news either.

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Trent Kort arrived in the OR waiting area just as an argument was winding down.

"What are you saying? I have been that boy's doctor for years, you can't deny me access to his medical records!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but according to our records Agent McGee's personal physician is one Jimmy Palmer; we have nothing on file that would allow us to grant you, or anyone else not listed here in his file, access to his records or information on his current condition." The nurse on duty at the desk clipped this out angrily, seeming to have said this- or variations there of- several times already.

With an exasperated huff the old ME turned and made his way to a closed waiting room, letting himself in he never noticed the hospital security staff that took up position just outside the door immediately after.

Sauntering up to the nurses station, Trent pulled out his ID and presented it with a wane smile.

"I'm here for Timothy McGee, what can you tell me?" Matching his name to her list the nurse gave a relived sigh at finally having someone listed to talk to about the young Agent.

"There isn't much news yet, he's still in surgery. We'll be able to tell you more once the doctor comes out. If you would like to wait..." Realizing that the only available place for him to wait would be in the now guarded waiting room or in the open hall the nurse froze, at a loss of what to do.

"Don't worry about it, I know them all already. They won't be happy to see me but they'll get over it. I do have a question though: why the guards?"

"I'd like the answer to that as well." Vance said as he had come out of the elevator just moments before and had already spotted the sentries.

Looking equal parts angry at what she had to relate and embarrassed that she had to be the one to tell the Director of an Agency about the behavior of one of his employees the nurse told them, and was gratified to see their expressions come to mirror her own angry one when she was through.

"I'll take care of this, ma'am, there won't be anymore problems like that from my people." Vance assured the woman before marching towards to closed waiting room door, Kort choosing to wait for the rest of his team to arrive before going in.

If any news came in about Tim he wanted to be available to hear it immediately, not mired down in an argument he couldn't escape, and having his team there to run interference when needed would help him do that.

In the waiting area, completely oblivious to what was being said out in the hall, Team Gibbs- consisting at the moment of only Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Ducky and Abby as Jimmy hadn't yet reappeared after leaving in the ambulance- were grumbling about their lack of success in gaining information about their friend.

"They can't just cut us off from him like this! Timmy is our friend! He needs us!" Abby wailed while clutching her black lace hankie and receiving comfort from Ziva.

"I'm afraid they can, Abigail, it seems none of us are on dear Timothy's paper work anymore and so have no legal right to ask about him. Though I can't imagine why he would push us away like that, or even when he began doing so."

"I can." Vance stated decisively as he strode into the room, closing the door with a loud click behind him and leveling his sharp gaze on one particulate occupant of the room.

"Miss Sciuto, would you like to explain to everyone here exactly why there is a security detail outside the door?" Fixing the Goth with a hard look the Director saw the exact moment she went pale under her makeup and then bright red, but not in embarrassment.

"It wasn't my fault! They can't still blame me for that! I'll sue them! This is slander against my character!" Everyone in the room, with the exception of the Director himself, was taken aback by the abrupt change in Abby's attitude.

Where she had been all emotionally overwrought and tearful a moment before she was now practically quivering with rage.

"Abby!" Gibbs cut the forensic tech's rant short with that one disbelieving word, and they all watched as she realized exactly who had just seen her outburst as she began to tear up again. Only this time no-one rushed to her side to offer comfort.

"Director, perhaps you could explain to the rest of us what Miss Sciuto is talking about?"

"I'd be glad to, Dr. Mallard, only I don't have all the information either as the event occurred during the previous Director's tenure. All I know is what I was just told at the desk when I questioned why there was security posted outside your door." Finally looking away from the now quiet woman- Abby had given up the tears when she realized they weren't working- Vance passed a glance over everyone in the room before settling on the old ME.

"It seems that Agent McGee took possession of a dog, a dog that should have been put down instead of being adopted out, and was savaged by the thing while in bed one night." Several gasps and in drawn breaths echoed about the room as everyone recalled the case involving the dog later named Jethro and Abby forcing McGee to adopt it after it had attacked him.

"McGee managed to hit the animal hard enough to render it unconscious so it would release its grip on his neck, and he also managed to call for help while bleeding badly. He was in the hospital for several days, during which time the local LEO's destroyed the dog as a matter of course." Vance now swung his gaze back to the pouting Goth.

"It seems Miss Sciuto here took exception to that."

"Jethro did nothing wrong! He just needed love and-"

"He attacked and nearly killed a Federal Agent- Twice!- and then you nearly did the same!" That caused an uproar.

Giving a piercing whistle to restore order, Vance looked to Abby to explain the rest; when she didn't he continued.

"Agent McGee was laying in bed, drugged to the eyeballs after surgery and unable to defend himself when Miss Scuito came for her first, last and only visit. It took six nurses to pull her off him as she kept hitting him and screaming about how he was a murderer, she reopened all his stitches and he needed to be wheeled back into surgery to repair the additional damage she caused. She also broke one nurse's nose and cracked another's ribs before they managed to sedate her. Miss Sciuto has been banned from even setting foot on the same floor as Agent McGee since then, though the staff here were all pissed that charges were never filed against her and I agree." As varying levels of shock and confusion coursed through the room no-one paid any attention to the door swinging quietly open behind them.

"I've never heard about any of this... Wait, wasn't Probie on extended leave for a month after he took the dog home? Why didn't he ever say anything?"

"Jenny wouldn't have let him, DiNozzo, she wouldn't have let something like attempted murder break up the team she wanted to use for her own personal agenda. Remember? You started 'dating' Jean soon after that." Gibbs answered quietly, in shock over what his favorite had done and the fact that he had never known any of this had ever happened. What else had his youngest been hiding from him, he wondered.

"As revelatory as all this is, gentlemen, I have something else you all need to know. It also ties into why none of you are any longer listed on Agent McGee's paper work."

"Yeah, about that, if we're not the ones listed then who is?" Tony asked, still hurt even through his shock that he was no longer listed as McGee's emergency contact.

"We are." Answered a British accented voice at the door.

All eyes turned to take in the three men in the open doorway, only one of which any of them recognized.

)

_AN.2: So... I'm not too certain that the dog incident did come before Kort's first appearance, but I needed it to work out that way so I hope it did. If I got it wrong I'm sorry._


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Once more: Don't Panic! Read to the end before tarring and feathering me!_

**Disclaimer: So not mine.**

Tony looked down at the blank report he was attempting to write with a far off gaze, he just couldn't get over all that had happened... Jeez, less than six hours before.

_"What the hell are **you **__doing here?" Tony yelled, incensed that the CIA would poke it's nose in at the worst possible moment for his team._

_"They are here to show support for Agent McGee, they are his team." Vance sighed out, wanting the explanation over as quickly as possible._

_"Like Hell!" Tony jumped to his feet, unwilling to believe such an obvious lie._

_"Tony!" Gibbs, though shocked at the news, tried to calm his SFA. They needed more information before jumping to conclusions._

_"**We're **__his team! You CIA monkeys can take whatever game you're trying to play and go kiss my ass- it isn't funny!"_

_"Well, you mustn't have been very good teammates to him if Tim decided to call on us instead of you when hurt." Kort smirked, nearly getting a fist in the face from Tony who was barely held back by Gibbs._

Tony shook off the rest of the memories that followed with a sigh.

It hurt that his partner, his friend, had been living a double life all this time without telling him; but what hurt more was knowing he could now never confront him about it.

Finally getting the energy up to start his report, Tony ignored the empty desk off to his right and tried to recall everything he could about the shooting- they needed every last detail each of them could recall if they were to go after whoever it was who had taken his Probie away from them.

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Abby shuffled about her lab, nervously adjusting her inanimate 'babies' while watching the clock count down the minutes until her meeting with Vance was to take place.

She had nothing to worry about, she kept telling herself, she had done nothing wrong!

It was all McGee's fault anyway, including her humiliation at the hospital earlier...

_"Before we get into any further detail, Director," Kort calmly said while ignoring the seething Italian who was ready to take his head off, "I would greatly appreciate it if you could remove the security risk from the room." A pointed look Abby's way had all eyes on her._

_Raising to her feet in indignation at the jab, Abby lay into the man before her secure in the knowledge that she was in the right and would have the backing of her Silver-haired Fox even if she wasn't._

_"What the **hell **is your problem?!"_

_"Mexico." The simple reply threw her for a moment, but realization quickly surfaced and she turned for help only to be met by uncomprehending but stony faces._

_"What is he talking about, Abs?" Tony asked, his curiosity the first thing to recover in the silence of the room._

_Going red at the accusatory tone that had been directed towards **her **of all people, Abby gave a stomp of her foot and flounced out of the room; never even turning back when her Silver Fox finally came to his senses and called after her._

Working herself up to a proper seethe over the unfairness of it all, Abby finally left her lab and headed up to the Director's office.

This was all Timmy's fault! And she couldn't even take it out on him now like she was used to doing!

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Ziva had taken over the break room, meticulously sharpening her knives while cursing herself in every language she knew for not having seen Tim's potential before it was too late.

_"Agent McGee has, since he began consulting for the CIA during Sheppard's reign- and no, Agent Gibbs, she was not aware of it- brought down more terrorists, drug lords, gun runners and any other baddie you can think of than all the rest of you combined. And yes, Agent David, that is taking into consideration your outstanding record with Mossad."_

Ziva wished she could go back in time now, work alongside McGee as a true partner rather than constantly bully him for being weak when he clearly wasn't.

This was a failure on her part that she could not soon forget, and now she could not even beg for forgiveness as that was no-longer an option.

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Gibbs gazed unseeingly into the dark depths of his coffee cup as his mind wandered over his newest failure.

_Just as the stream of information concerning what his youngest agent had been doing right under his nose threatened to overwhelm the Team Leader the door to the waiting area opened and in stepped a doctor in surgical scrubs._

_No-one spoke a word until the doctor had said his piece and left them to themselves again._

_"It's not true... is it? McGee... he can't be..."_

_"Tony..."_

_"NO! He can't be dead! McGee can't..." Wrapping his shocked agent in a rare hug, Gibbs watched impassively as Kort and his unintroduced cronies left the room. _

_He would have to find them later, question them on who would want to do this to his Agent- their Agent, it seemed- but for now he had a broken team to console._

Tossing his cold and untasted coffee away, Gibbs forced himself to return to the too quiet bullpen and face the empty and accusatory desk in front of him.

If only he had known, if only he had made an _effort_ to know Tim better, he may have been able to protect him; but now...

He had work to do, the bastard behind this was going to pay.

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Ducky had just one question on his lips as his assistant finally reappeared from his long sojourn at the hospital, their newest- and most grieved for- guest in tow.

"Why, Mr. Palmer? Why did he never say a word to me?" Jimmy took a deep breath before meeting his mentors eyes, knowing already that only the truth would be acceptable in this moment.

"You have been Agent Gibbs' friend for a long time, Doctor, he didn't want to put you in an awkward position by confiding in you something you may have had to act on that would have disrupted that friendship."

"Alright. But then why did he transfer his medical care to you without telling me? Why didn't _you _tell me, Mr. Palmer?" Jimmy looked down at the bagged body he had just brought in as if asking for strength before replying.

"'Swim, Tim.'" He said in a flat voice.

It took a moment, but eventually the elderly doctor's eyes cleared with the memory.

A hot tub, a hazmat situation, his ignoring the health hazard the Team Lead had put his Junior Agent in.

Ducky gave a heavy sigh, feeling every single one of his many years for the first time in a long time, and retreated to his office to compose himself; leaving his young assistant to prep the body of the young man he had long thought a friend but had wronged too terribly to truly still call one.

Finally settled enough to do his duty, Ducky emerged from his office and approached the table Jimmy had laid their newest guest out on- and had to bite back a gasp of surprise.

"Mr. Palmer?" The old ME asked as he looked over the paper work from the hospital, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"I accompanied him straight from the operating room to here, Doctor. We couldn't have Tim getting lost on us, now could we?" Eyes twinkling as he hadn't thought they ever would again only moments before, Ducky took up a scalpel and began to work.

"Well, my dear... let us see what you can tell us."

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Abby sat stonily across from the Director of NCIS, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming imprecations at him that would only further harm her career.

"After just a cursory examination of all of the _buried _reports filled against you- Cyber Crimes is going to have a field day figuring out how that happened, I'm sure- I am putting you on unpaid suspension for the foreseeable future with a mandatory psych evaluation scheduled to take place at the end of the week. Gather your personal belongings and remove yourself from the building within the hour." Standing stiffly, Abby headed to the door; only to be brought up short as she was called back.

"Miss Scuito? I wouldn't recommend going far, not until after the _full _investigation into your actions in Mexico has been resolved." Nodding quietly the Lab Rat scurried out, unable to understand how things had gotten to this point.

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Team Gibbs, Dr. Mallard, Jimmy and the Director all stood in Autopsy around a table holding a body, the body Jimmy had brought back with him from the hospital.

No-one said a word for several long moments.

"Where is he?" Tony asked, needing to know.

"Safe." Jimmy replied, refusing to let on that that was as much as he knew too.

"So who is this?" Vance waved a hand over the body on the table, uncertain himself as to where it came from. Dead bodies didn't just pop-up from nowhere.

"One of the unfortunate homeless, I'm afraid. Took a nasty spill and cracked their head open from what I could find. But Mr. Palmer here was quick to see that they had the correct height and build to pass as our dear Timothy, at least if one never opened the bag." Ducky explained, allowing his own relief at finding out that young Timothy was alive and well to bleed through in his tone.

Gibbs turned a questioning eye on the Director, who answered without ever looking away from the unfortunate young woman on the slab who had made their ruse possible.

"SOP, Agent Gibbs, Standard Operating Procedure for all undercover CIA Agents with active enemies that have been attacked while _not _undercover. They go deep until it is ascertained if it is safe for them to surface again."

"So it could be years before we see McGee again, yes?" Ziva asked not wanting to think of the other option, the one that said that they may never see their friend again.

"Years, or until those after him are no longer able to do so. Whichever comes first, Agent David." Giving the group a nod, Vance turned to go. Whatever these people- this team- chose to do from here it was a safe bet that he would need to be able to claim plausible deniability for it.

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Tm slowly worked his way back into consciousness, aware of a dull ache in his chest and not much else.

Blinking his eyes open, Tim let dry lips form a smile as his favorite be-stubbled face came into view.

"Eric, you have no idea how worried I've been!" Kort gushed, giving Tim all he needed to know to play along as the doctors and nurses descended on him.

Playing along willingly, trusting that he would be told what was going on once they were in a secure location and he was more able to focus properly, Tim answered all the questions put to him with the information from his Eric Keel identity.

"When can I go home?" He finally asked as the questions began winding down.

"Tomorrow if no complications set in tonight, Mr. Keel, you were very lucky: the bullet passed straight through without doing anything more than breaking a single rib. A fraction of an inch in any direction and it would have been a far different story."

"Thank you, doctor, for all you've done. But I'll be happy to get out of here," Tim then turned to smile up a Kort who was hovering by his bedside once more, "and I'm sure my husband will be happy to finally take me home too." He tacked on with a smile, loving that he could call Trent his husband while using the Keel identity; even if he didn't know why he was doing so yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the pretty pictures floating around inside my skull, they give me the best ideas.**

"Are you sure you want to go? You could get spotted, and by someone who shouldn't see you."

"Yeah. I mean, how often do you get to go to your own funeral?"

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Timothy McGee's funeral was held the Saturday after his death, it was attended by all but a handful of NCIS employees that had to remain behind to provide a skeleton crew for the office as well as a great many individuals whose lives McGee had touched through the years- including, but not limited to, Agents Fornell and Sacks of the FBI and Thom E. Gemcity's publisher- but it didn't make up for the fact that none of his family bothered to show up. And Gibbs just didn't understand that.

Penny Langston, Tim's grandmother, was travelling abroad and no-one had even been able to reach her to break the news so it wasn't a surprise that she wasn't there, but Gibbs had broken the news himself, in person, to the rest of McGee's family and had been shocked by the apparent apathy with which it had been accepted.

Sara, Tim's sister, had been the one to give an explanation as she walked him out that day, and even then it didn't sit well with the Team Leader- especially when she went along with her family in boycotting Tim's funeral.

"I love- loved- my brother, Agent Gibbs, but you need to understand that Tim... Dad disowned him when he turned down a desk job at the Pentagon to be a Field Agent with NCIS. With his inner ear problem keeping him out of the Navy- even though it wasn't Tim's fault- Dad never really considered Timmy able to... keep up with the Big Boys, if you know what I mean. I tried to keep in touch with Tim, but... family comes first, Agent Gibbs, I'm sure you can appreciate that."

Thinking about how different that conversation might have gone if he'd been able to tell them that Tim was in fact alive... but no, Gibbs shook that thought off, no-one could know until Tim was able to come home safely.

He couldn't even tell Abby about Tim being alive, especially not after she'd been remanded into custody for a seventy-two hour mandatory psychiatric observation after having screamed at the on staff psychologist because he couldn't tell the difference between Goth culture and Vampire culture.

She had even threatened to kill the man without leaving any forensic evidence if he didn't learn the difference and soon.

Shaking his head and turning back to the lowering casket, Gibbs wondered how he could have missed her deteriorating mental state.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"You were seen."

"But not by anyone who shouldn't have seen me."

"But still..."

"Don't worry so much. And Kevin is going to do a great job of setting the proper bread trail and leading these people right where we need them to go."

"..."

"You worry too much."

"So how was your funeral?"

"Nice subtle change of subject there. It was fine, a little hard not to just walk out there and tell them all to stop grieving because I'm alive, but fine."

"You're family never showed."

"I didn't expect them to."

"Sara..."

"Has always been a Daddy's Girl, I was just there to provide her a safe way to rebel; and sometimes a means for clearing her name. It's fine, like I said. Can we just drop the subject?"

"Alright. It's time for your pills now anyway."

"You are such a Mother Bear."

"Growl."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Monday morning saw Team Gibbs filing into the Bullpen, and coming up short at the sight of someone new sitting behind Tim's desk.

"Kevin Miller, Agent Gibbs, it's a pleasure to be assigned to your team." The stranger at Tim's desk said as he rose and extended a hand to Gibbs in greeting.

"We don't sit at a fallen Agent's desk, Miller. Move!" Gibbs barked as he began heading for the stairs with an angry stride.

"DiNozzo, get to work on those leads we talked about. Ziva, find Miller a desk and then help Tony." Pushing his way through to the Director's office without knocking, Gibbs slammed the door behind him and then looked at Vance who had been waiting patiently for him.

"He is your new Agent until further notice, Gibbs, you need someone to do the computer runs and... you're not here to complain, are you?" Vance asked once he realized the man before him hadn't yet begun yelling.

"No, I'm not, Leon. But I did need to make it look good for anyone watching and reporting back to the wrong people." It was a sad fact but true one that there were always eyes watching, and you never knew who was on the other side of them.

"So, you know who Agent Miller is really working for, and how important it is to keep this all as quiet as possible?"

"I know who he works _with_, if that helps. Recognized him from the hospital. But yeah, we'll keep it quiet- none of us will do anything to endanger Tim, wherever he is."

"You know, I think that was the main reason for Kort and them having shown themselves in the first place, told you about working with McGee, it was all to let you know who to trust in this situation." Vance then checked his watch.

"I think it's been plenty of time now for me to have read you the riot act and sent you packing. Get back to your team, Gibbs, you have a new member to terrorize and an old one to get back." Turning to the door with a smirk, Gibbs paused only a moment as he was called back.

"And Gibbs, don't forget to slam my door as you leave. You're right in thinking that we need to be as convincing as possible." Gibbs slammed the door convincingly and stalked angrily towards the Bullpen, stopping in front of Kevin's new desk on his way.

"You're part of my team now, I expect you to keep up." Gibbs barked out, making the seated man jump and look up from his phone.

"Yes, sir."

"And don't call me sir, I work for a living."

"Of course... Boss." As Gibbs went back to his desk, Kevin looked back at his phone.

**Your Boss is scarier in person than you made him out to be.**

**I know. Just don't mess with his coffee and you should be fine.**

**Should be?**

**Well... depends on if it's good coffee or not.**

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"It's too soon, you're barely healed."

"They aren't waiting so we can't wait, we need to do this now before we lose the informational advantage."

"I hate it when you're right. Okay, let's do this."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Saturday, a week and a half after Tim's 'death', Team Gibbs- including Ducky and Jimmy- gathered at their newest team member's house for a little getting-to-know-you barbeque- and, hopefully, for some off the record leads on who had shot their teammate as Kevin hadn't given any while at the office.

And, though they had all been quietly hoping to see him there, they were all still surprised when they arrived and found Tim already ensconced in a patio chair and sipping on a lemonade.

"Hello! You must all be Team Gibbs, am I right?" As he spoke, Tim held up a sign for all to read before continuing.

**We're bugged so play along.  
>And Tony, please be belligerent instead of funny; we really need to sell this.<strong>

"First I'd like to apologize for your teammate, it was just a misfortune of fate that he and I looked enough alike that he was mistaken for being me." Tim gave a small smile at that, a silent apology for what they had been put through.

"You... you got Tim killed? Who are you?!" Jimmy yelled, being the first- and the only one prewarned- to regain use of his mouth.

"You can call me Murray if you like, it's the closest you're going to get to who I really am." In a van parked a half mile away a tech, who was only being paid to find out what a CIA operative was doing working at NCIS, was scrambling to set up a live link with his boss. This was bad news- Murray was still alive!- but it had to be relayed as soon as possible.

The tech would have been even more nervous if he'd known about the squad of FBI Agents- led by none other than Tobias Fornell who had been brought up to speed after having spotted Tim at the cemetery and confronted him- that was now surrounding his van, waiting for the signal that the proper message had been sent and that they could now take this small fry down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't own!**

"You can call me Murray if you like, it's the closest you're going to get to who I really am." Tim answered Jimmy's question with a smirk as he saw the others slowly coming around to understanding the part they needed to play. Predictably enough it was Tony that shook off his shock first and gave voice to the indignation they were supposed to portray.

"Murray... You got Tim killed? And you're sorry? Sorry ain't going to cut it you bastard?! Do you have any idea what you did?!"

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs admonished, not wanting Tony to overdo it, but Tim just held up a conciliatory hand.

"It's alright, Agent Gibbs, I don't blame your man here for being upset, I understand how he's feeling. He's upset that I threw his partner under the bus to save my own skin, but it was either do or die and I couldn't risk my work being disrupted just to save the life of a nobody NCIS Agent." Tim gave them a sad smile now to try and soften the blow of what he was about to say.

"I mean, I bring down International criminals on a regular basis, what had Timothy McGee ever accomplished? Can any of you say you would have done anything different?" Kort, who had been off to one side watching this performance, strode forward now with Tim's Tablet and handed it over with a casualness he didn't feel. He wouldn't be able to relax until the bugs were cleared and he knew for certain that Tim was safe once more. And where was his sling? He better not have tried to 'lose' it again!

"He has a point there." Ziva said as she tried to understand just where Tim was taking this conversation.

"Like hell he does!" Tony yelled out, really getting into the part of being the incensed and grieving partner.

"I want everything you have on why you were targeted and on who pulled the trigger on my man." Gibbs finally spoke up, demanding the information he would have if Tim had in fact really been killed since that seemed to be the type of reaction his man was looking for.

"And why would I give you any of that, Agent Gibbs?" Tim asked while typing something on his Tablet- no-one missed his wince when he moved his left arm a little too fast- and made a rolling motion with his hand to get Gibbs to lay into him more.

"Because it's obvious the CIA has hit a stone wall with this case and that's why we're here, we're going to be forced to clean up your mess just like always. Now hand over the info and let us get to work- I have an Agent to avenge and you're in my way!" With a smirk Tim hit a few more commands and an alarm started to sound inside the house, Kort then jumped in to say his line and begin the ending scene on this piece of pantomime.

"That's the signal detector- we have a bug. We've been compromised!"

"Let me just jam the signal then we can get out of here!" Tim replied as he sent the command to Fornel that it was time to take their listener down even as he remotely shut down the entire van having easily hacked all its systems days before.

Looking up at the still standing, and now confused, NCIS contingent, Tim gave one of his embarrassed smiles and watched as they all began to relax.

"Sorry about all that, guys, but we needed them to think that I- Murray- was still alive and that NCIS was taking over the investigation because we were getting nowhere. It's not like we don't know who's behind all of this, but he's gone underground and we need to draw him out." With another small smile Tim turned back to his Tablet to clear things up, only to have it pulled from his hands by an upset Jimmy Palmer.

"And just where is your sling? You need to wear it for another four weeks at least!" As Tim tried to come up with an excuse that would get him out of wearing the infernal thing, Frankie came out of the house with a tray of drinks and the sling hanging from one finger.

"He said it wasn't necessary to wear it while just sitting around, and I didn't want to argue with him." Frankie defended when he received glares from not only the two medical professionals but also from both Team Leaders for having the sling in his hand and not on Tim's arm.

"Thanks, Frankie, I'll be sure to get you back for this soon." Tim grumbled good-naturedly as his left arm was eased back into its sling.

"Timothy, lad, though I'm uncertain as to how badly you were injured I must agree with Mr. Palmer on this: you must wear your sling for as long as is necessary to ensure proper healing."

"But it's so uncomfortable!" Tim whined, bringing smiles to his NCIS teammate's faces and breaking up the tension in the air. With a wink that made the old ME grin, Tim sat back to enjoy the few moments of peace he had before the inevitable questions would begin.

"Now that the work is over with for the day what say we have that barbeque you were all promised? I know I for one am looking forward to a thick and well cooked steak." As agreements flew through the air, and a minor war was held over who would be handling the grill, Tim let a pleased smile spread across his face as Trent started making proper introductions over his head between the two teams.

The right information had gotten to the right ears and now it would just be a waiting game to see when the strike would come, a strike they were well prepared to counter.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Murray's still alive."

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll do better next time."

"Don't bother, I'm handling this myself from here on out."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs, having won out against Frankie over grilling rights by using his patented Gibbs Glare, turned over the steaks while keeping an ear trained to the conversation happening not too far away.

"Damn, Probie, do you have any idea what you put us all through?" Tony asked as he seated himself next to his friend's legs on the lounge chair as all other seats near the man had already been claimed.

"No, Tony, I don't. It's not like either you or Ziva has ever been declared dead and left me to mourn over you without knowing you were in fact alive." Tim said sarcastically and Tony and Ziva both flinched at the reminder that yes, Tim had indeed been in their shoes before.

"Ouch! Where'd you get those claws from, McBitting-Remark?"

"He's always had them, DiNozzo, he just kept them sheathed around you before now because he knew that you couldn't take it." Kort said with a smirk as he refilled Tim's glass.

With only a glare showing he had heard the other man, Tony turned back to his Probie.

"So why'd you never tell us about your side job, McSecret-Agent?" Tim just raised a brow before answering.

"'Hey, guys, I'm now working secret undercover ops for the CIA even though none of you even think me capable of being a convincing waiter or bell-hop when we have an op of our own.' Yeah, Tony, that conversation would have gone over real well."

"He has us there, Tony, we would never have believed him without proof; and, given the sensitive nature of the projects he most likely worked on, it is highly unlikely he would have been able to provide us with proof to his claims. I say Tim made the correct choice in keeping us in the dark."

"Thank you, Ziva."

"You are welcome. But know that now that we know more of what you are capable of I will want to test your true skill set- once you are healed, of course. I want to know just how much you've been holding back on us."

"That goes for me too!"

"Guys, I've never held back on you, not when it counted- I would never put you in danger like that!"

"Calm yourself, dear boy, we are all still trying to adjust to the fact that you are more capable than we gave you credit for being." Ducky reassured, trying to keep the injured man relaxed even though it wasn't likely to happen with this crowd.

"All except Jim-bo here. Why'd you have to go and tell the Gremlin when you never told me- us!?" Tony whined and Tim gave him a sad look as he told him the truth, something Tony was not always able to handle.

"Jimmy is my friend, Tony, outside of work as well as in; and I just needed to confide in someone that... that wouldn't drag me over the coals for trying to broaden my horizons or hold it against me that I had managed to keep it secret for so long." Jimmy piped up then while Tony absorbed that bit of news.

"It was a shock, I can tell you that. Learning that one of your best friends is living a double life, that they are working with the CIA and with one of his team's most loathed people... Uh, sorry, Trent."

"Not a problem, I know how I'm viewed by most of the people I meet." Just then Gibbs quite effectively broke up the conversation by handing Tim a plate loaded down with a large steak already cut up for him since he couldn't do so himself while wearing the sling.

"Medium-well, right?"

"Perfect. Thanks, Boss." It was an unconscious slip, but Gibbs basked in it. His boy still thought of him as his Boss, that meant he was planning to come back to the team after all this was over with, right?

"Where's mine?" Tony asked as he eyed Tim's plate hungrily.

"On the grill with all the others, if you want it you better get your butt up and go get it." Tony grumbled about needing to get shot to get any consideration, which earned him a head slap- from Ziva this time as Gibbs was too far away- but got up with everyone else to plate up; and Tim was suddenly alone with a worried looking ME.

"I have a copy of my medical file inside if you'd like to look it over, Ducky." Tim reassured, though he wasn't convinced it was solely his health that his old friend was worrying about.

"Timothy... I know it may be too late to ask for forgiveness-" Tim saw where this was going and so quickly cut the Scot off.

"Stop. You have nothing to apologize for, so just stop."

"But if I had only done my job!"

"Ducky... this is about my transferring to Jimmy's care, right?" A nod.

"Why do you think I did that?"

"I was negligent."

"Wrong. You were tired, worn out and overworked. Between all the bodies being brought in at the time, every Agent with a tiny scratch running to you for a bandage," Neither man looked at Tony but both shared a small smile, "and all the other myriad other little problems accumulating at your feet on a daily basis it was an understandable mistake. And that was all it was, a mistake. I transferred to Jimmy's care to give you a break, however small. And I didn't want you finding out in case you believed I thought you too old to do your job- which I never have- and then have you work yourself into the ground to prove me wrong." Resting his hand on one of Ducky's slumped shoulders in support, Tim let his eyes say the rest; they said that everything was alright between them.

"Dear Timothy..." Ducky began only to break off at the catch in his throat. What had he done to deserve the friendship of such a caring and forgiving individual?

"I know. Now, go and dish up before Tony steals you steak. He doesn't need anymore than what he already has."

"Hey!" Tony yelled from where he was pretending not to eavesdrop, making everyone around him- including the two men still seated- chuckle.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs, milling about with everyone else while giving Ducky and Tim some much-needed privacy for the talk Ducky obviously needed to have with the younger man, took the opportunity to finally corner Kort for a talk of his own.

"How long? How long has he been working for you?" Gibbs demanded once they were out of immediate eavesdropping range.

"Almost from the minute I asked him to, not too long after you and I first met." That long?! What else had he missed about his youngest Agent? What else had McGee lied to him about?

"Don't think of it as his having lied to you," Kort said as he saw the thoughts floats across the usually stoic man's shocked face, "think of it more as not divulging the full truth. You never asked the right questions to make him talk so he didn't. But believe me, Gibbs, if he had thought for a moment that you would have taken it well he would have told you in a heartbeat." His piece having been said, Kort went to sit in the place of honor next to Tim- and that's when Gibbs saw it.

A secretive smile, gone almost as soon as it was there, passing between the two men.

What else had he missed indeed, Gibbs wondered.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: A chapter finished and given to you before Thursday, you ask? Why yes, yes it is. _

_This chapter just refused to wait to be written, so here it is. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I only own them in my dreams, and we all know you can't stop someone from dreaming.**

Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Jr. was a sight to behold when absorbed by a case- whether a cold or hot one he gave his all to see that justice was done- so it was just too bad that that wasn't what was happening in the bullpen right now.

"So, Newbie, you finished your reports yet?" Tony asked as he tossed yet another paper 'bomb' at Kevin's head.

"Not yet." Kevin replied while deflecting the anticipated paper wad and dunking it into the waste bin for the third time in a row, much to Tony's jealousy and Ziva's approval.

"You better hurry up then, the Boss-man expects efficiency. You should take your queues from me in this, they do call me Mr. Efficient after all." A soft ding comes from Kevin's computer just then, signifying he had an E-mail- his fourth since Tony had started bugging him- and like always the reaction was the same: opening the E-mail, Kevin quickly had to cover a laugh.

"What?!" Tony barked, more sure than ever that the E-mails were about him in some way.

"Nothing." The E-mail was quickly closed out like the others as Kevin got back to work, but that didn't stop Tony's insatiable curiosity from rearing its ugly head.

"You wouldn't be holding out on me now would you, Newbie?"

"Of course not, Tony." The E-mail dings again and Kevin can't help but to laugh out loud at this one, closing it out only moments before Tony dives in to see it.

As Tony contemplated how best to get into Kevin's E-mail account his own E-mail dinged and he reluctantly went back to his desk to see what it was about.

From: **ElfLord**

Gibbs is right behind you, Tony.

Turning with a ready grin, Tony looked up right into the bright blue eyes of his boss.

"Hey, Boss. Anything I can do for you?"

"I don't know, Mr. Efficient, have you finished your reports yet?"

"Getting right on it, Boss." Kevin's E-mail then dings again and sends the CIA man into a snickering fit. At Gibbs' Look he puts what he has up on the Plasma.

"That was supposed to be deleted!" Tony yells even as Ziva joins Kevin in laughing, even Gibbs looked to have cracked a smile at the image on the screen.

It was a picture of Tony, stretched out at his desk, half eaten slice of pizza laying on his chest, mouth gaping open as he obviously snored away the day. It had a caption underneath it: Mr. Efficiency!

"Come now, Tony, that is a good look for you." Tony only glared at his Israeli partner, refusing to rise to the bait. He did like it that Tim, though not there with them, was still taking part in their inner office routine- even if he couldn't figure out how McGeek was doing it. He had checked for bugs all over and had come up with nothing!

"Back to work!" Gibbs ordered as he finally took a seat at his desk, smirk firmly under control.

"Yes, Boss."  
>"Yes, Gibbs."<br>"Yes, Boss."

As the three Agents got back to work- filling out reports, checking on new leads- it was with a sense of anticipation that they were almost to the end of this whole ordeal.

Before they had parted ways on that Saturday, now a week and a half behind them all, Tim had laid out what needed to be done and why.

_"His name is Wilhelm Peterson, he was an up and coming lieutenant in one of the bigger crime Family's- at least, he was until we tricked him into trusting me. Or should I say: trusting Murray, Hacker for Hire. We set it up to look like Peterson had sold out his Family to the CIA and had hired Murray to cover his tracks and take the blame when in reality he was my cover for getting behind their firewalls. He's... a little upset about all this you might say."_

_"A little? I'd say a lot, McUnderstatement. He tried to kill you!"_

_"DiNozzo! Shut up and let the man talk."_

_"Thanks, Boss. Where was I? Ah, yes. Peterson is cut off from his old Family now, but he still has his own personal funds and supporters. We need you guys to round-up the supporters while I take out his financials so that he has to come out of hiding and do the dirty work himself. I've got all the names and everything you'll need to track them down right here, but you'll all have to do the actual work of arresting them the hard way. None of these guys are likely to go down without a fight, so I want you all to be prepared."_

_"Do not worry, McGee, we will keep ourselves safe so that we may see that you are able to come home once again."_

_"Thanks, Ziva, that means a lot to me."_

It was Thursday now, three and a half weeks since this had all started, and they had eight of the twelve men on Tim's list in custody on charges ranging from gun running to human trafficking to possession with intent to sell; and it looked like the other four had gone to ground when they saw the net tightening around them.

Peterson was now cut off from his supporters and all the muscle they could provide him with, and Tim had reported- via Kevin- that almost all the man's assets when now either frozen or confiscated.

Everyone eagerly expected that it wouldn't be long now until something happened to bring this whole situation to a final close.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Damn it! They have almost everything now. And everyone!" Wilhelm Peterson screamed into the face of his right hand man, who knew better than to flinch away when his boss was in this kind of mood.

"Sir, there are still a few around-"

"On the run or in hiding! But not in a position to help _me_!" A nameless subordinate came running in just then.

"Sir! I found him!"

"Murray?"

"Yes, sir! I managed to track his key CIA handler, Trent Kort, out to where he's staying in a large house in the country. I even got surveillance photos for you so you can verify for yourself that it's him."

"Excellent work. Now go and start getting things lined up, we're going to go pay them a little visit this weekend." The nameless henchman left, all too eager to do as his boss ordered and show off his skill set at the same time.

"By this time Monday night I'll have Murray dead at my feet and his little house will be ashes in the wind, along with any of his friends that might happen to be there with him. Now go, help with the preparations. I want all hands in on this, I don't want even a remote possibility of Murray escaping!"

"Yes, Sir!"

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"You should have seen it! The guy got lost three times on a straight road- I had to double back twice just so he wouldn't lose me! Where do these idiots come from?"

"His tracking skills have to be better than his surveillance skills, though, they just have to be! I had to go out and pose by the pool for half an hour before he managed to get _one_ picture and leave. And he couldn't have been more obvious about it if he'd been wearing a flashing neon sign saying 'Look at me!'." The pair share a laugh before Kort grew suddenly serious.

"I still don't like this, you know." Tim sighed as he agreed.

"I know. I don't like it either, but it has to be done sooner rather than later or else Peterson will get suspicious about just why _those _particular funds weren't touched and why _that _certain man wasn't rounded up. I'd rather push things now and get this over with rather than have him slip the net and come back around in several years when our guard is down. One bullet out of nowhere has been more than enough for me for this lifetime, I can tell you."

"But are we sure that he'll hit this weekend? If it were me I'd take time for some reconnaissance, make sure that I'm not running head long into a trap."

"But, thankfully, Peterson isn't you. He's impulsive and easily led under the right circumstances, it's why we chose him as my in into his Family in the first place, remember?"

"Yeah, alright. I'll go ahead and let Frankie and Kevin know that it'll be this weekend- Oh, and Langley too, obviously."

"Obviously. While you do that I'll call Vance and let him know what's going on, I wouldn't want him to panic when the entire MCRT just up and disappears for the weekend, plus he might like to be the one to tell Gibbs that the time has come for a little action. After that I'll let Fornell know too."

"You want to bring the FBI into this? Why? We have this covered." Tim snorted at that.

"Three points: One- I'm officially dead and so have no authority for anything. Two- You, Frankie and Kevin are CIA and therefore have no jurisdiction on US soil. And three- I'm fairly certain that Gibbs and all will NOT be on the clock throughout the weekend and so will be just as unofficial as us when the shooting starts. So! We need someone in the FBI- since they're supposed to be the ones in charge of these things anyway, at least officially- who knows what's going on and will be willing to help us, and Fornell knows Gibbs and how he works and so won't be surprised by anything that might come up during the investigation afterwards."

"Fine! You sold me. Make your calls already so I can make mine, then we can have dinner and go to bed."

"But it's still too early for bed."

"True, but this will be our last night alone together for a while."

"Oh. Oh! Yes. Well. Lets keep those phone calls short then, shall we?" Kort chuckled lowly as he swooped in and stole a kiss.

"Yes. Let's."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Vance made it all the way down the steps to Gibbs' basement before he was even greeted.

"What do you want, Leon?" Gibbs gripped without looking up from his sanding. Suppressing a smirk, Vance set a file folder down on the work bench and began.

"I'm taking both you and your team off rotation until Monday, you've all been working too hard on McGee's case and are in need of some rest. I suggest the country, maybe some light fishing."

"Fishing, Leon. Really?" The Director of NCIS finally let a small smile peek through his stern visage.

"Yes, fishing. And take DiNozzo and David with you, they could use some time away as well. Just don't forget to go armed, those fish can get dangerous when they fight the hook." The two men shared a smirk at that before Vance turned and made his way out.

Once he was sure his house was once again empty, Gibbs grabbed up the file left behind and opened it. It was a map and a set of instructions, as well as a set of keys to a Sedan now ostensibly sitting out in front of his house.

Opening his phone, Gibbs called his SFA.

"DiNozzo."

"Tony, call Ziva. Vance gave us the weekend off so the two of you pack for several days out in the country and then get over here, we're leaving at first light."

"Boss?"

"We're going fishing, Tony, so don't forget your gun." Gibbs hung up and Tony stared at his phone in bewilderment and then up to his two dinner companions.

"What did Gibbs want, Tony? Do we have a case?"

"No. But it seems that we have the weekend off and are going on a mandatory fishing trip with Gibbs. He wants us packed and at his house ASAP, we leave at first light."

"Fishing?"

"That's what he said. Also said to not forget my gun." Kevin, who had been sitting in silence until now just enjoying the show, now reached for his phone as it went off.

"Yeah? This weekend? Alright, I'll be there. Bye." Looking up at his two temporary teammates, Kevin gave them a cheeky smile.

"It looks like I'll be joining you on your 'fishing' trip this weekend, though I was invited by my boss and not yours." As the implications of that sank in, Tony and Ziva grew excited and could barely get out of the restaurant quick enough. They barely stopped long enough to pay before bolting for the street and their cars, thankful that they had all driven separately this time.

They were finally going to get to _do _something, something more than just rounding up the henchmen.

Back in his basement, Gibbs pulled out a long canvas bag from its resting place and took out its contents for a thorough cleaning- not that it needed one mind you. It would have been a smack in the face of his old Drill Instructor to have let his Rifle, his Sniper Rifle no less, fall into disrepair from improper maintenance and disuse after all.

Too many lives hung in the balance for his gun not to fire when he needed it to, Gibbs mused as he carefully went through all the steps in disassembling, cleaning and reassembling his Riffle, and he refused to lose anyone else- especially not this weekend.

)

_AN.2: Quick! Does anyone else think Peterson talks like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons? I went back and reread his lines and that's the impression I got._


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Finally, Tim and Kort's relationship is revealed! But not till the end, so read on!_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except what my warped imagination comes up with, so if you recognize it you know it's not mine in any way, shape or form.**

Gibbs, following the route Vance had given him, drove himself, Tony and Ziva southward out of D.C., into the open country side.

Where they needed to go was to the North of D.C.

An hour out of the city and across more dirt roads than either younger Agent had ever seen, Gibbs finally turned down a side road- more like an overgrown path- and came to a stop in front of a hidden helicopter.

"Boss?"  
>"Gibbs?"<p>

"Out." Gibbs ordered as he mirrored action to words. Popping the trunk and pulling out his bags, Gibbs then tossed the keys to the Sedan to the Agent that came towards the car and headed to the helicopter; all before Tony or Ziva had even gotten their doors fully open.

"Hurry up!" Tossing his things in the new transport before climbing in after, Gibbs settled in and then rolled his eyes as one of his younger colleagues (**cough** Tony **cough**) struggled to follow his lead.

"So where we off to now, Boss? And where'd you get the 'Copter from, anyway?" Tony asked as he strapped himself in tightly.

"Don't know, and I didn't." Gibbs replied, hiding his smirk as his Senior Field Agent's eyes grew big as the Helo took off with a lurch and started heading in a Northerly direction.

"What?!"

"Do not worry, Tony, I'm sure we will find out our destination as soon as we get there. Then we may also find out where this helicopter came from." Ziva teased her rattled companion, she was more relaxed as she trusted Gibbs to get them where they needed to go without fuss.

And if they needed to change transports in secret to get to where they were going without being seen then she wouldn't question it.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tony was the first to spot their destination, though he didn't think that the spread he was admiring was.

"Will you look at that... Paradise! The driveway alone must be at least two miles long- and that pool! Two tiered and with a built-in hot tub it looks like. And just look at the Tennis Court! Boss, will you look at it? The house is so big I bet it has its own Theater! That is definitely my Dream House down there, Boss! Wait... Are we headed _there_?!" Tony's face had been pressed so hard against the glass while he looked longingly at the large Estate under them that when he turned around his nose remained flat for several seconds and brought smiles to his companions' faces.

"Looks like it, Tony, I hope you can stand to meet the owners of your 'Dream House'." Ziva let her laughter go at the depressed look overcoming Tony's features at that thought.

Obviously if they were going there to help Tim as they thought they were then it must be a CIA safe house, probably one confiscated from a drug lord or gun runner of something.

"Hey! We're landing right on the Tennis Court!"

"I'm sure they'll let us play through, Tony." Gibbs grunted as he prepared to disembark as quickly as possible so that the Helo could get back to wherever it was meant to be.

"Wrong sport, Boss... but you already knew that." But Tony was talking to thin air as the Team Leader was already halfway across the Court with his bags in hand and over his shoulder, obviously going to meet the man waiting for them in the entrance to the house.

"One day I'm going to learn to move the way he does." Tony commented as he and Ziva slipped from the helicopter with much less grace but at a much more relaxed pace, barely clearing it before it took off again and was quickly lost to view over the tree tops.

"I will hold my breath for that day, Tony." Ziva quipped with a smile.

"It's 'won't hold my breath', Ziva, 'I won't hold my breath for that day'." Ziva's smile only grew wider as Tony fell into her trap.

"I'm glad you agree with me." She began laughing at Tony's stumped expression to that.

"Wait. No. That's not what I meant!" Tony yelled as he tried to keep up with her fast pace, then he caught sight of the familiar face waiting to greet them and all thoughts of bantering around with the Israeli left his mind.

"Probie!" He called out as he raced the last few feet to his friend's side.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Nice digs, McLiving-It-Up! Who'd the CIA scam this place off of anyway? MC Hammer? Thanks, Boss!" Tony rubbed the back of his head as the sting from the head slap slowly began to fade and then looked up to see the whole CIA contingent grinning at him- even Probie was looking shifty!

"Tony... the house doesn't belong to the CIA." Tim explained.

"Really? Then how'd you get the use of it, McSquatter? Thanks, Boss!"

"Anytime, DiNozzo. But if you keep it up much longer I'm delegating the task to Ziva." Ziva looked delighted at the prospect so Tony decided to ratchet his enthusiasm back a few notches.

"I think I'll let Kevin tell you how we got this place over lunch, it's his favorite story to tell after all and he doesn't get many new people with clearance high enough to hear it." Tim said this congenially as he led everyone to the kitchen- the Dinning room was big enough for a banquet and so far too big for just the seven of them- where they had lunch already set up and waiting.

"Wow, this smells great! This can't have been from frozen, who'd you get to deliver all the way out here?" Tony asked as he looked over the spread laid of for them, he hadn't seen or smelled anything this good since the last time Ziva had cooked for them- and maybe not even then, but he wasn't saying that part out loud.

"No-one delivers this far out, Tony, Frankie cooked. You're looking at one of his specialties: Four cheese lasagna, antipasti, garlic knots and a fresh greens salad. And don't bother asking about dessert, he won't tell us what he made until after we clean our plates, he's gotten quite devious since he became a dad." Frankie just looked up and beamed at them, a hard look in his eye daring them to try and go for dessert first. No-one was foolish enough to take him up on the dare for fear of not getting said dessert.

Once everyone had dished themselves up and sat down at the- still too big for just seven people but better than the one in the Dinning room- Kitchen table, Tony started questioning Kevin about the house.

"Whoa, Tony! Slow down. I'll tell you all about it, just give me a minute to set the scene!" Tony subsided with his questions and began digging into the fantastic lasagna Frankie had made while Kevin collected his thoughts and nibbled on a bread roll.

"Okay. So it was only a couple of months after I'd joined the Team, and I hadn't yet worked directly with Tim here, when the CIA got a tip-off about a HUGE gathering of all these big time gamblers- I remember thinking at the time that it seemed a lot like the plot from Casino Royal- and we were sent in as one of the security teams to try and gain contacts and information from the more unsavory participants while one of the more well thought of Agents was put into circulation at the tables."

"That idiot Jeffers lost everything within the first hour- and he was supposed to be the best Poker player the CIA had!" Frankie cut in with a chuckle, loving that bit of the story the most.

"So Jeffers lost his spot at the tables first thing, and the CIA Big Wigs all decide that they had lost enough resources for one mission and tried to pull us- but Tim wouldn't have it." All the NCIS people turn to stare at their meek computer wiz in confused wonder.

"I was supposed to be on the mission for three weeks and it had only been two days since I'd left the office, I thought it'd be simpler to just finish out the original intent of the mission rather than try to explain to you all and Director Shepard that the Family Emergency I'd left on wasn't real." Tim looked apologetic about it, and then Kevin started talking again.

"Well, Tim convinced Trent to stay so of course Frankie and I stayed, but we had no clue what we would do. We couldn't hang around claiming to be security since we didn't have anyone at the tables to make secure, and we couldn't loiter about because those doing real security would have pitched us out on our ears. So when Tim bought into the game with his own money... well, we were all a bit shocked I'll tell you right now." Three sets of wide, incredulous eyes turned to look at Tim once more and Tim blushed under the scrutiny.

"How... How much was the buy-in, Probie?" Tony, the first to recover his voice, asked the question they were all thinking about, but it was Kort that answered.

"Buy-in was a Million Euros, with a half Million Euro reserve to be held by the Casino."

"Where'd you get that kind of money, McMoney-Bags? And where did this all take place if you were using Euros?"

"Monte Carlo, Tony, the Las Vegas of Europe- where else would they have held an International, highly illegal Poker Tournament for the ubber rich? As for the money: good investments with my money over the years, plus a _very_ large advance from my publisher on the promise of a new contract and book series upon completion of my Tibbs contract. In truth it wiped me out. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd've lost." Even Tony was rendered speechless at that.

Kevin cut through the sudden tension by continuing his story.

"Tim tried to talk Trent into playing the tables for him, but our fearless leader here quailed under the pressure." That brought a smile to Tony's lips at the mental image of the fearless Trent Kort afraid to sit at a poker table, Kort only snorted at the comment.

"So Tim had to play against the professional gamblers, Whales and sundry criminal elements that had bought in all on his own and with his own money- and all only an hour after first learning the rules of the game!" Ziva gasped at that as Frankie started laughing at the memory.

"I was absolutely terrified." Tim admitted with a chuckle, he could laugh about it now that it was all over and long in the past.

"So we were back in business with Tim at the tables and the rest of us attempting to make contacts while keeping him safe, and all of it unsanctioned by the CIA. They had even gone so far as to tell us that we could all kiss our careers goodbye if we didn't stop our madness and rein it in immediately."

"They changed their tune quick enough when we brought down that Syndicate Assassin guy on the first day." Frankie butted in, earning himself a glare from Kevin who was getting fed up with all the interruptions.

"By the second day Tim was looking bored at the tables- but had already cleared three people from the game! It was a sight to see: Tim lounging at the table sipping his drink, barely glancing at the cards as they were played, bluffing his way through several rounds before being called out on his strong hand. He played those professionals like they were new to the game when in fact he was!" Kevin gushed, excited just remembering the event.

"I started out by calculating the odds for each hands in my head, when that wasn't distracting enough from my terror of being there with everything ridding on my shoulders I switched to calculating pi and then to calculus equations. I had no idea I looked so laid back from the outside until Kevin began gushing over the fact- much like he's doing now." Looking chastised at the subtle rebuke, Kevin continued his story with much less flare.

"By the end of the Tournament, Tim was sitting up with the Big Boys at the final table, and the CIA Big Wigs were nearly tripping over themselves to take credit for what we'd done. Six high-profile arrests- one of which was a terrorist that was supposed to already be dead, the FBI were so embarrassed about that- two higher up subordinates turned into Moles for us and Tim at the lead with new 'friends' in the Upper Crust of the Underworld's gambling sect. We were their darlings, and they were so pissed that they couldn't legally or otherwise touch a dime of what Tim had won because they had cut all ties to us before he had ever sat down at that first table." Kevin paused to take a drink, loving having the three NCIS people he'd been taking orders from for weeks hanging off his every word.

"Tim ultimately won the Tournament, of course, and this place with it too as one of the men playing hadn't been able to match his bets- too many rebuy-ins. He lets us all use it whenever we want since he can't live here full time- too far out to drive into town everyday, but great for the weekends- and it's really too big for one person; and so we all figured it was the best place to lay a trap for Peterson since we know its layout and already have it secured."

"So..." Tony began once Kevin had winded down, but had to pause to let it all sink in some more before continuing.

"So! McMoney, how much did you win? Thanks, Boss!" Tim smiled a bit as Tony rubbed his head, then decided to have pity on his friends curious nature and answer the question... mostly.

"I won enough to never have to worry about money again, Tony, other than that I'll leave it to your imagination. I will say that I've been using what I won to help people, and that I paid the CIA back what they lost during the Tournament." Tony muttered something about 'McBoy-Scout' but refrained from speaking up as his head still hurt from that last slap.

"I've got a question." Gibbs' voice broke the silence that had descended on them all and all eyes turned to him expectantly, but he himself focused in on the man sitting to Tim's left.

"Were you sleeping with my Agent before or after he became rich?" Kort just smirked even as Tim went bright red and Tony began choking.

Ziva pounded her partner on the back and noticed as Kevin and Frankie discreetly exchanged money, no doubt having bet whether or not the all-seeing and all-knowing Gibbs had caught on to Tim and Kort's relationship. She had she knew, but it seemed poor Tony was the only one to not have figured it out before now.

"We began flirting the moment we met, and we began sleeping together casually a few months later after we had gotten to know each other better." Tony was spluttering now, not wanting to hear anymore about his Probie's sex life- especially if it was with Trent Kort!

"We became exclusive the day Tim saved my life, and my beautiful face, from the unwanted attentions of a psychotic ex-CIA project that no-one else had realized had come back for revenge." Tony had just rolled to the floor at this point, hoping that everything he had just heard had been some sort of nightmare and that Gibbs would put a stop to it immediately.

"Alright then." Gibbs said, and just like that Tony's last hope that this would all be over soon vanished and he slumped with a pained moan; nobody bothered to comment on his dramatics.

"Boss? You're really okay with this? Ziva?" Tim looked confused, not having expected any of his NCIS colleagues to have realized he was in a relationship with Trent; and definitely not expecting them to be fine with it.

"Yes, Tim, I am fine with it. I can see that you two are happy together and that is all that matters." Ziva reassured with a sincere smile.

"Boss?" Tim asked, still not believing what Gibbs had just said and needing to hear it again.

"No, Tim, I'm not really; but it's obvious that he cares for you and makes you happy so there's nothing I can honestly object to." Gibbs answered honestly, knowing that anything less would be an insult to his youngest Agent's intelligence. He then leveled a hard stare at Kort that made the other CIA men begin subtly reaching for their guns, only to be halted by a hard stare from Ziva and a shake of her head.

"Just remember that if you hurt him I won't let you get away with it." Kort acknowledged that with a nod as he wrapped an arm protectively around Tim in a silent promise to never hurt him.

And Tony just groaned in his forgotten position on the floor, wondering when his world had gotten so topsy-turvy.

)

_AN.2: So, next week is Thanksgiving here, and then comes Black Friday and all the horrors of that particular shopping day. I work in retail and am having to work a twelve-hour shift that day, 7pm to 7am- I already feel exhausted- from Thursday night to Friday morning. _

_I'm telling you all this so you will know why I probably won't be posting a chapter next week._

_That said, if I don't post before then: Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it! And for those of you who don't: Happy Thursday!_

_Oh! And before I forget: If anyone has any suggestions on movie references Tony can make concerning the situation they all find themselves in I'd really appreciated it. I like movies and all, but I just can't think of any good movies he can talk about._


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: I'm so sorry about the late update. Black Friday wasn't too bad, but then my Dad died... I've just been a wreck. Everything is starting to get a bit better now family wise so I decided to finish this chapter- I'd almost completed it when I got the news- and get it out to you all. _

_Someone raised a good question last chapter about why Tim would care about Team Gibbs' reactions to, and acceptance of, his relationship with Kort, and the answer is rather simple: Team Gibbs is Tim's surrogate family, if he can't get acceptance from his real family then he wants it from the family he made for himself. I go into that a bit in this chapter, and I hope this clears up any confusion on that front._

_Also: I am no doctor or psychologist so if my Abby scene seems off to you I'm sorry, I just went with what sounded right in my head. _

_Now please: Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or anything affiliated with it.**

Tim studied Tony's prone form as the senior Agent stared resolutely up at the ceiling, refusing to even glance Tim's way.

The others had all left them alone to sort this out at Tim's request- Kevin was now doing the clean-up from lunch while Frankie and Kort were showing Ziva and Gibbs their rooms- and though Tim wanted to get this conversation over with he didn't know where to begin.

He knew Tony well enough to know that his reaction hadn't been caused by homophobia but by shock, first to the news that Tim was sleeping with the SFA's 'nemesis' Trent Kort and then to the fact that Gibbs of all people was okay with it- and that wasn't even taking into consideration the shocks he'd had, one right after another almost continuously, since that day in the park almost a month before.

Standing with a sigh, Tim checked his phone for the time- making a mental note to fix Tony, Ziva and Gibbs' phones so that they could start making and receiving calls out here even with all the interference from his security system- before placing it back in one of the new pockets of his hated, though now functionally converted, sling and kicked Tony's foot to gain the sulking man's attention.

"Come on, follow me. We need to talk and I think a change of scenery will do us both some good." Not waiting to see if he was going to be acknowledged or ignored, Tim made his way out of the kitchen.

Sitting up with a groan, Tony made his way to his feet and began following his Probie. He knew they needed to talk, but he couldn't honestly say he was looking forward to doing so.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Abby slammed the phone down so hard that its plastic base cracked.

Ignoring the disapproving looks she received from both the staff and other patients- everyone had become fed-up with Abby's 'better than you' attitude on her first day- for her display, the Goth- who looked far less Goth-like without her makeup- stormed out of the common area and retreated back to her room.

This was her one day to make phone calls- stupid idiot doctors and their stupid restrictions until she 'showed improvement'- and no-one was answering her!

Abby continued to fume as she flopped down on her standard issue narrow bed and released a muffled scream of frustration into her standard issue lumpy pillow.

This was all stupid McGee's fault for getting shot, she wailed internally for the umpteenth time since her she'd been committed, everything had been perfect until he had to go and mess thing up by dying! If he wasn't already dead she'd be all too happy to break out of this place and help him along to getting there!

And she would gladly get back at Vance as well for having taken the side of that dead man- who everyone was still stupidly mourning when they should have been focusing on HER!- over her, the _Greatest_ Forensic Tech NCIS had ever _seen_, and forcing her to choose between voluntary commitment or prison time.

And it just wasn't fair! She hadn't done anything wrong!

Sure she had diverted a few- okay, several dozen or more- reports and complaints that had shown her in a not so good light to a dead file no-one was ever supposed to find.

And yeah, maybe she had almost killed McGee at the hospital that time- and almost again in Mexico that other time- but he deserved whatever he got for being such a bad friend!

It just wasn't fair! She wasn't a bad person- she bowled with Nuns for God's sake!- she didn't deserve to be treated like a criminal or a lunatic!

As her temper tantrum finally started to subside the Goth became aware of another person in the room with her.

"What do _you_ want?" Abby sneered as the doctor- her doctor, though she hated the very thought of having one- began walking closer with that grotesque professional smile of her's firmly in place.

"Miss Scuito, we need to talk about your latest drugs test. It seems that the medications that have been prescribed to you, and that you have been supposed to be taking voluntarily, are nowhere to be found in your drug panel. We can find no trace of them in your system whatsoever."

"Yeah, so? I'm not putting any meds in my body that _you people _are trying to force on me, especially not after that insulting and laughable diagnosis you made!"

"Miss Scuito, I have consulted with every other doctor here, and they all agree with me on this: you have Manic/Depressive Personality Disorder, heavy on the manic and very light on the depressive, and you are also subject to fits of Narcissistic Rage with violent tendencies when things do not go the way you wish them to."

"You can say anything you want, but none of that means I'm taking any of those crazy pills you keep trying to foist on me!"

"If you do not submit to treatment- treatment approved and authorized by the Chairman of the Board _himself_- then I will have no choice but to report your failure to comply with your therapy. Miss Scuito, I do not need to remind you of what would happen then, do I?" Abby paled at the thought.

If she left the Hospital without a clean bill of mental health Vance had promised to pull whatever strings were necessary to see her taken to Gitmo, no questions asked. He was really upset about some of the stunts she had pulled- especially on McGee- over the years, she had never seen anyone so mad as he had been when he'd found her dead file.

"Fine. Give me the pills and then you can go bother someone else." Abby gritted this out through clenched teeth, hating even this small concession.

"No."

"What?!"

"You have proven yourself untrustworthy with your own treatment, so from now on you will be receiving you medications intravenously. Two shots three times a day until you have earned back to privilege of being trusted with pills." Turning away in abject humiliation at that, Abby allowed her arm to be prepared for the first of the injections to come.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tim lead Tony out to poolside for their talk, hoping that this way no-one would disturb them before they were done.

"Nice pool." Began Tony, hoping to cut off the heavy Talk they were about to have before it could begin.

"Ever think about having a poolside party? You've got plenty of room. You could toss a bunch of burgers on the grill, get a bunch of girls in tiny bikinis strutting around, or maybe guys in speedos..." Tony trailed off, realizing he couldn't avoid the elephant in the room no matter how much he wanted to.

"Tony.."

"I know, I know. Look. I'm fine with you being gay, bi- whatever! But why HIM?! Of all the people in all the World, why did you have to fall for the one who blew up my car and tried to kill me?! What?" Tim tried to hide the smile that had prompted that last question but gave it up as a lost cause.

"Nothing. I just think it funny that you placed your car before your life." Lowering himself onto one of the long deck chairs, Tim adjusted his sling to a better position as he leaned back and waited for Tony's next move. There was more to this than what had been said so far, and if they wanted to move forward from here they needed to get everything out in the open.

"Well, it was a really great car." Tony finally answered after several seconds of surprised shock had passed. Lowering himself onto the deck chair closest to his Junior Agent and stretching out with his fingers interlaced behind his head, Tony looked up at the clear sky and wondered where the mild-mannered and stammering computer geek he'd first met in Norfolk had been hiding such a sharp tongue at all this time- and then that lead to other questions he really wanted answered.

"Why did you never say anything? I get that what you were doing was classified, and I get that you needed to keep your cover as protected as possible, but why did you hide everything from me- all of us?" Tim looked over at Tony a moment before deciding on the truth, no matter how unpleasant it be for the older man to accept, would be the best thing to say.

Sitting up on his chair, Tim turned to face Tony's profile fully before taking a deep breath and plunging in.

"Tony... when was the last time you called me by my name?" That caught Tony off guard and he turned to look at the younger man in confusion.

"What kind of question is that, McRandom-Tangent?"

"One that you haven't answered. Tony, my name is Tim McGee- two very simple words- please think for a minute and tell me when you last called me by either of them." Tony looked away towards the horizon at that, not liking where this conversation seemed to be going.

"I don't see what this has to do with why you kept a whole second life secret, _Tim_." Tony turned back in time to see Tim sigh and look away much like Tony had done moments before, but for a completely different reason the SFA suspected.

"Do you remember the first time you broke into my apartment and rummaged through all my stuff, even going so far as to open my mail? You and Kate- may she rest in peace- teased me incessantly for months over every little thing you found, no matter how insignificant it was. I then became the laughing-stock of the Yard when the two of you broke in, _again_, stole my underwear and ran it up the flagpole like we were still in High school and not members of a Federal Agency. To this day I'm still not certain why you two never got reprimanded for that." Taking a breath to settle nerves riled up by the old memories, Tim continued.

"How many times since then have you broken into my apartment and then teased me about it? Or rummaged through my desk and then loudly proclaimed- to the whole building on occasion- what you found there? I still have people commenting on my 'feminine glow' to this day! Even _Gibbs_ teased me about it, and he doesn't tease anyone about anything!" Another deep breath to lower his blood pressure and Tim decided to get off that subject.

"Do you remember how you reacted the one time I attempted to turn the tables on you? You and Ziva _both_ jumped all over me, telling me that partners didn't do such things to each other. Ha! You even played it up to Abby, who then complained about my 'poor team-working skills' to Gibbs who then made me attend team-building workshops- there's a note about it in my personal file about it! The one time I tried to join in the 'fun', as you always call it, you made it abundantly clear that there was a double standard between us, and that you would uphold it whenever possible." Running his good hand through his hair, Tim said the next piece in a near whisper.

"And then we come to the times you proved that I couldn't come to you when I really needed to."

"And what are those?" Tony whispered back, he couldn't even look at his friend(Were they friends? How could McGee even stand to be around him?) as he spoke, the guilt over what he had done becoming too much as he finally started to realize just how badly he'd mistreated his partner in the name of 'fun'.

"I have a long list of them, but the one I know you'll remember best considering Abby's recent troubles is the dog incident."

"But I didn't do anything then."

"Exactly. You never asked how I was doing, if I was alright, if I needed to talk about the vicious attack I suffered at the jaws of a trained military dog I had believed was going to kill me. You just teased me like always, pulled dog attack related pranks on me and helped Abby to force me into taking 'McMutt' home with me. You have no idea how much that hurt, Tony, to know that I was less important to my team than the well-being of a dog!" Tony visibly flinched at that and Tim once more reeled in his flaring temper, but boy did it feel good to finally get this stuff off his chest.

"There's the time you told the Accounting girls I was gay- I had to hold my own against three separate gay bashing attempts before the rumors died down- all the times you pranked me and then delighted in my misery- the last time you superglued my fingers to my keyboard I had a bad reaction to the brand you used, I almost lost a finger before the infection got under control! But I think the worst, at least in relation to my trust in you, was when you screwed me out of that mission to Iraq." Tim wiped a hand over his face before glancing over at his partner of so many years, it broke his heart to see the self-disgust written on Tony's face but he knew that this had to be said- he had to lance the wound- in order for them to start healing their friendship.

Who knows, Tim mused, we may even come out of this stronger.

"I didn't actually want to go to Iraq, Tony- I had a mission with the CIA that I needed to stay homebound for, don't ask- that's why I played along with your 'advice' to not volunteer. I guess I had also hoped that, after I had been passed over for the mission, you would show some remorse for your stunt; but even when Vance laid into me in front of everyone you just sat back and looked pleased with yourself. That was the final nail in my decision to not tell you. I had long since stopped trusting you on a personal level, but that was when I realized I couldn't trust you to ever see me as an equal on a professional one." After Tim finished speaking he and Tony sat in silence for several long minutes before Tony finally broke through the tension.

"I'm sorry, Tim. Rule six be damned, I'm sorry! I just... I never really thought... I..." Tony trailed off as he stared up at the clear sky, not knowing what to say or do now that he knew just how big of a bastard he'd been all these years- and to someone he was supposed to be training-up and guiding as a mentor, too!

"Tony..." Reaching across the space between them, Tim pulled Tony- who had begun looking more and more lost with every revelation- into a sitting position and then turned him so that they were facing each other. He had to fix this, let his friend know he didn't blame him for simply being himself all this time.

"Tony, I love you as a brother, and I need you to know that. The fact that you've never been a good friend, teacher or mentor to me doesn't stop us from still being family." Tony looked up at that and Tim smiled at him.

"Tim..."

"I'm sure that you've meet, or at least learned about, my real family by now?" Tony's wince was all the confirmation Tim needed.

"Well, then you can understand it when I say that, no matter how much of a pain in the ass you've been over the years, I wouldn't change a thing. You, Ziva, Jimmy, Ducky and Gibbs have been my family for years now- and so has Frankie, Kevin and Trent. So yeah, I never sought to share that part of my life with you, I wanted to keep it all to myself for as long as possible; but now you know and I'm okay with that. And so long as you can accept the way I choose to live my life, and who I choose to live it with, I'm alright with you knowing." Tony, choked up at the level of trust that Tim was still willing to give him, pulled the younger man into a hug.

"Thanks man, I... I won't let you down again." Tim returned the hug as best he could with one arm and then pulled them both to their feet.

"I know you won't, Tony, now come on. I'll show you your room and then I can take you all on a tour of the house, maybe even the grounds somewhat if we have time."

"Sounds like a plan there, Mc- Tim. Wow, being a better person is harder than it looks." The two shared a chuckle before turning towards the house.

"Yeah, I guess. But I know you can do it, Tony, and if it's any consolation: I always kind of liked the funny ones."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to hold you that, McFunny-Bones."

"I said 'funny ones', Tony, not stupid ones!" The two men laughed again before passing into the house, neither one noticing the two silent figures that stood just out of sight now but had heard everything.

"How has he stood working with us for so long?"

"You heard him, Ziver, we're his family. Now let's go show him that he isn't alone in thinking that way." The two unrepentant eavesdroppers quickly followed the retreating pair and met them on the stairs, when asked if they'd like a tour of the house after Tony got settled everyone agreed with enthusiasm.


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: I'm back! Hopefully this hails my return for a good long while, but if I suddenly drop off the map again without warning I apologize in advance. It's always surprising, the things life decides to throw your way._

_Oh! And I made up science-y stuff about technology that was already made up as it is. Hope that doesn't bother anyone._

**Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS then we would see a LOT more of Trent Kort, and he would never have lost an eye. Although, he does pull that eye patch off rather nicely...**

Tim sat across from Gibbs in the kitchen, everyone else was down in the basement watching Tony drool over his new favorite toy, quietly sipping his coffee and dreading the conversation he knew had to come but didn't want to take part in- one emotionally wrought conversation a day was more than enough, thank you!

"So... you're not coming back to the team, are you."

"No, Boss, I'm not. You know I can't, not now." Tim sighed out. And the day had been starting to look so good before this too...

Tony had squealed with delight as he jumped onto his new bed and began immediately searching for the remote to the fifty inch flat screen mounted to the wall across from it. It took a head slap from Gibbs and the promise of deadly office supplies from Ziva to get him out of the room and moving on to the tour.

Tim started them all off up in the attic, showing them the store rooms and the armory/weapons maintenance room that was up there to be out of the way before they started back down.

On the second floor Tim pointed out the linen closets, where Kevin and Frankie's bedrooms were- Gibbs issued another head slap when Tony blatantly asked where Ziva was sleeping at- his office that was in the room next to the Master suit he shared with Kort and then pointed out the six empty guest rooms that they could switch out for if they didn't like the ones they had been given.

Back on the ground floor Tim showed them the library, the dinning room, the living room- Tony was upset at the lack of TV until Tim showed him that the large mirror on the wall was actually the TV in disguise so that it wouldn't break up the flow of the room- the den- Tony opened his mouth to comment on the Man Cave feel of the room with its heavy leather furniture, dart boards and Billiards table but choose not to on the off chance he would be denied using it- a glassed in conservatory that would make a great greenhouse if anyone cared enough to try and then circled them back to the kitchen where they were shown a door descended into the basement.

They nearly didn't get Tony back out of there again.

The basement held some of the expected: a laundry room and a wine cellar. But what first caught the eye as unusual was an open arch leading into a fully equipped gym, and right next to that a steam room and spa area. What had Tim bouncing on his toes was when he reveled his pride and joy: a working recreation of MTAC.

"I built it all myself, down to the very last hard drive. I can hack into any database or computer in the World from here, uh... Not that I would, of course. That would be wrong."

Whatever teasing may have happened after his near slip never came about as Tim opened the last door in the basement and revealed something that had Tony near swooning.

"A theater. A Theater! I am _never _leaving here!"

The outer room held a digital projector and everything else needed to set it up for movies or even TV- Tony started hopping around like a school girl asked to the prom when he learned Tim had Satellite access wired to every TV in the place- but it was the inner room, the one with the actual screen, that blew Tony away. Six lounge areas were set up on the three wide steps leading down to the ten foot wide screen, each area set up for maximum comfort with large fluffy couches and low tables, the heavy drapes along each wall adding to the effect of this being a really high-end movie theater. It took both Gibbs and Tim grabbing his arms and forcibly dragging him from the room to get him to leave.

"Come on, Tony, you can play down here later. Right now we need to head back upstairs so you three can get read into the security details, plus I still have to work on your phones." Tim said while pushing Tony towards the stairs back up to the kitchen, knowing that Trent would have gotten everything set up and ready by now.

"What is wrong with our phones, McG- Tim?" Ziva asked as she cut Tony's retreat off and ensured his continued forward motion by brandishing a paperclip she kept with her for just such occasions.

"Nothing is wrong with them, Ziva, but they just won't work with all the interference from my security system if I don't add some new programming to them. Haven't you thought it odd that not one of you has yet to receive a phone call or text since you arrived?" Conceding the point now that it had been brought up everyone filed into the kitchen where Kort had a large map laid out on the table and a pot of coffee at the ready.

Tim took everyone's phones and got to work downloading Apps to them from his Tablet as Kort started explaining what security features they already had set up.

"I'm sure you three saw much of this as you were flying in, but now I think you should know what you were seeing. The original owners of this property, as far as we can establish as they died more than half a century ago, were paranoid survivalists with too much money and time on there hands- which is good for us. We are unapproachable here from two sides, the third is a deathtrap to the unwary and the driveway and gate are a bottle neck- only a fool would think to try and get to us over land, but that is exactly what we're dealing with here: a fool." The grizzled CIA man then began pointing out places on the map.

"To our South is the Front Gate, the only safe way on or off the property. The driveway- a two mile stretch of scenic nothing- goes through a ninety-degree turn just before you hit the Gate, it'll be slow going getting in that way and that's if we don't lay down any suppressing fire. To our North is about a thousand miles of dense forest cut through with so many ravines that no-one has ever even considered building on it. To our West is a river full of class six rapids that have been dubbed too deadly to attempt by the American Whitewater Association. And then to our East is an open field, nothing in it but high grass." That last threw everyone, but it was Tony that took the bate.

"What?! I thought you said two sides were impassable and the third was deadly! How can grass be deadly?!" As Tim and the CIA contingent snickered, Tony crossed his arms and glared, waiting for an answer.

"The grass covers an uncountable number of sinkholes and a warren of caves underneath, it's treacherous at the best of times and deadly at its worst, and that was before we added remote activated landmines at the property line. Now, any questions?" Kort smirked at Tony's dumfounded expression even as he motioned for Ziva to ask what was clearly on her mind.

"What happens if they somehow manage to make it into the house? What sort of defenses do we have here?" Tim chimed in on that, having just finished the last phone and turned it off to reset.

"I designed the security for the house myself, when activated nothing can move without being spotted. See?" Holding up his Tablet, Tim pulled up his security net and showed everyone a 3D image of the kitchen with four orange figures and three green ones sitting around the table.

"We're the orange ones and you guys are the green, it's like that because I haven't tagged you yet. In fact, your tags are sitting up in my office and I should have grabbed them while I was up there." Kevin jumped up and volunteered to go get them, while he was gone Tony looked closer at the image on the screen.

"I swear I've seen graphics like that before, I just can't remember were from..."

"The system uses multiple ultrasonic sound waves bouncing around objects and being collected by specially designed microphones to make the 3D image you see here."

"'The Dark Knight'! Lucius Fox designs a cell phone that works like radar so that Batman can break into a building and know where he's going, later Batman uses the same program to track down the Joker. This is brilliant, Timmy! I've never seen anything so cool in real life!" Everyone chuckled at his enthusiasm as Kevin returned with a small box.

"Well, Tony, suffice it to say I was inspired to used sound in my security net by that movie- it is so much more efficient and much harder to spoof- but that's as far as the similarities- beyond the graphics- go. My system doesn't use cell phones and can't be used outdoors- or across an entire City. But what it can do is let us see who is where and what they are doing."

"And disrupt cell reception."

"Yes, Ziva, and that. Now here you all go." Tim handed out the tags- ankle bracelets, Tony called them after being told where they were best worn- and then handed back their phones.

"Just turn them on and they should work fine. The App I installed will automatically come on and scan for a given amount of interference and then countermand it if found, if it doesn't find any it will just turn itself back off. You can also manually activate and deactivate it, but for the first time it's best to turn the phone off and then back on." By now all three NCIS Agents had their phones on and were receiving alerts about texts received and calls missed, and they each also had a voicemail- all from the same person.

_"Damn you, Tony! Answer your phone! I'm warning you, if you're brushing me off there will be hell to pay! You can't still be mad over what I said last week 'cause you know it's true! If that bastard McGee hadn't gone and gotten himself killed then none of this would have happened to me! Now just ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE!"_

_"Ziva! Why aren't you there?! Tony was being so rude to me! He refused to talk to me! Can you believe it? Come on, I need some girl chat. I'm dying in here!"_

_"Giiiibbbbbbbbbssssss! Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! Why haven't you rescued me yet? You have to get me out of here! And you need to punish Tony and Ziva, they refused to take my calls! Come on, my Silver-haired Fox, spring me from this joint! Don't you love me anymore?! Why is everyone being so mean to me!"_

No-one said a word for several long minutes after the last message ran itself out, then Gibbs nodded to Tony and Ziva and indicated the door; the SFA took the hint quickly.

"Hey, guys, come and show me how that projector works. I've already got some great ideas for a movie night and I want to be sure I know what button does what." Ziva followed Tony but the CIA group waited until Tim nodded them away before leaving the two men alone, Kort giving a supportive squeeze to Tim's shoulder before following the rest and giving them privacy.

"She's getting help." Gibbs began before trailing off, realizing how petty that sounded.

"Too little, too late; and that's _if _she is consenting to treatment."

"So... you're not coming back to the team, are you."

"No, Boss, I'm not. You know I can't, not now." Tim sighed heavily, knowing he had to say his piece now or never.

"Tim..."

"'You belong to me now', those were your exact words when you brought me on your team. So why did I never feel like I belonged? Boss... I know I was green back then- VERY green- but I gave everything I had. NCIS, the MCRT, was- is- my dream job; I'd do anything to stay there, and often times I did. So why was it never enough? You've met my family?" Gibbs nodded and Tim looked away.

"Then you know what I grew up with: a Father who could never be pleased, a Mother that never tried to help me and made a joke of everything because it was easier than confronting the Admiral and a Sister that would only be there for me when no-one else was there to see. It took a while but I finally saw the similarities between my family and our team- and I nearly quit when I did." Gibbs sucked in a breath at that but Tim kept on talking, not giving him a chance to interrupt.

"At first I stayed because I thought that things would get better with time, but that didn't happen. So then I stayed because... I don't know. Foolishness maybe. But then I met Trent and found a way out of my nightmare without leaving behind what I'd put so much work into." Tim looked up at Gibbs and held his eye.

"Boss, the only reason I've stayed on the team as long as I have is because I had a secret second life I could fall back on as reassurance that I wasn't the total screw-up that you all made me feel like, and now that that is gone..." Tim broke eye contact and shook his head.

"I can't come back to work for you, Gibbs, I'm sorry but I can't. Now that my secrets are all out I won't have anything to draw strength from when things go right back to the way they've always been, and I won't put myself through that; I just won't." Lowering his head into his hands, Tim rubbed his face and tried to banish the emotions that were threatening to spill over once again.

"I understand." Looking up, Tim met Gibbs' eye.

"I screwed up, no way around it. Broke Rules five and eight almost as soon as I had you, I took you for granted and I wasted good- and you are damn good, don't ever doubt that- and so I'm breaking another Rule right now, number five."

"Boss, you don't-"

"I'm sorry, Tim. I'm sorry and I mean it. I should have done a better job of leading you instead of just telling you to fall in line and keep up, so all I can ask now is to be given one last chance. Even though I don't deserve it and you have every right to refuse, I'm still asking. Will you come back? I can't promise things will be perfect, but I can swear that they will be better than they have been." They held eye contact for several seconds before Tim broke out into a wide grin.

"Sure, Boss, I'd like that."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

"Think they've killed each other yet?" Tony asked as he riffled through the small movie collection kept in the projection room, idly wondering how long it would be before he could get some of his own vast collection down there.

"Don't be so crass, Tony, Gibbs would never hurt McGee."

"My money's on Tim." Frankie called out from where he was lounging with Kevin.

"Same here!"

"Hey! Bossman was a Marine, Timmy wouldn't stand a chance against him!"

"So you're not taking the bet?"

"Like hell. Put me down for twenty on Gibbs. Ziva?"

"The same. I have seen Tim fight, and though I am now sure he was holding back I still do not believe he is up to taking out Gibbs."

"Kevin and I will match your bet, Tim can so kick that old guy's butt!"

"Yeah!"

"What about you? Are you not going to make a bet?" Ziva asked the, until then, silent man in the corner.

"Sure I will, I'll match all of you and put my money on their having settled their differences without a single blow being thrown." The bets are settled just as the door is opened and the two men under discussion come walking in, both notably without any new bruising.

"I win." Kort said with a smirk as he began collecting his winnings.

Gibbs just raised a brow and Tim shrugged, completely clueless on what had just happened.


End file.
